Community Gardens in Detroit

Well, school is in full swing and the snow just keeps coming! I've had plenty of time to catch up on readings for class and dream about warmer days full of dirt and vegetables. I recently had an assignment to write an op-ed piece for my healthy communities class so I of course selected a topic that involved food. I did extremely minimal research on this, but thought some of you might find it interesting nonetheless - of special note, can you believe Detroit has over 40,000 vacant lots?! Does Detroit have an opportunity to be an urban agriculture leader? It seems they are off to a good start.....

Happy reading!

Is Urban Agriculture the “New Normal” for Detroit?

Even before the economic turmoil of the past year, Detroit, Michigan, was inarguably struggling. With high unemployment rates due to a reliance on a challenged automotive industry, fear of crime downtown, and high property taxes, Detroit has seen an exodus of residents to surrounding suburban counties and other states over the past ten years. The departure from downtown due to economic and public health concerns has left an estimated 40,000 vacant lots within the city.

Vacant lots lower surrounding property values, create a patchwork of disconnected communities, and are a financial burden for city maintenance departments. Rather than seeing the large number of vacant lots throughout the city as a problem, enterprising community members have seized the opportunity to infuse urban agriculture in the city fabric. Activists, churches, and community members have started community gardens on vacant lots throughout the city. Over the past several years, community gardening has sprouted where houses, businesses, and even gas stations once stood.

The proliferation of community gardens in Detroit helps provide fresh, healthy food in areas where it was previously prohibitively expensive or unavailable. With a crumbling economy and dilapidated infrastructure, many neighborhoods have seen grocery stores close or move to the suburbs in the past decade. The remaining residents are often unable to access larger, commercial grocery stores in the suburbs due to transportation barriers. The existing options for food are often convenience stores that stock their shelves with overpriced, highly processed, and unhealthy food.

The Detroit community gardens are reminiscent of “victory gardens” grown by individuals during World War I and II across the United States. Victory gardens were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted to supplement limited national food supplies during the war. It is estimated these gardens provided up to 40 percent of all vegetables consumed during the war period. The victory gardens also helped improve morale and support community building during a time of national stress.

The Detroit community gardens are serving a similar role – improving morale and encouraging strong communities despite disparate economic times in the city. City officials have recognized the value of community gardens and are working to change city ordinances to make farming acceptable. Zoning laws in the city currently ban raising crops and livestock for profit, but community gardens that provide free produce for volunteers and communities are serving the need in the meantime. If zoning regulations and other ordinances are changed to reflect the growing interest in farming for profit, urban agriculture could provide employment opportunities for many currently unemployed residents, reduce food transportation costs and negative environmental effects, and provide fresh, healthy food for the otherwise deprived residents.

When the economy and traditional built environment crumbles, Detroit residents are learning the value of rebuilding with raised beds, compost, and fresh vegetables. While many people view Detroit as a dismal “has-been” city, others are beginning to look to the city as a leader in the growing field of urban agriculture.